Justin Bieber Accident: Was Paparazzo Looking for a Payday in Crash? (Video!)

Justin Bieber crouches over a photographer moments after he struck him with his pickup truck. (ScreenCap)

Justin Bieber nailed a photographer with his truck last night (July 26) after leaving a church service, but a closer examination of video from the scene shows the photographer did little to get out of the way and seemed to exaggerate the impact.

Is he just looking for a payday?

Bieber has had his share of run-ins over the course of this star-crossed career and his relationship with paparazzi has always been rocky.

No one would deny that paparazzi often try to incite celebrities to create some kind of reaction that may produce a money shot.

When such interactions happen, the celebrity usually ends up paying, in some cases as much as $250,000 to make incidents go away.

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The incident occurred outside the Saban Theater, where Bieber had been taking part in a City Church service.

Pedestrians always have the right of way in California, so Bieber is clearly at fault. But how hard did the paparazzi really try to avoid being hit?

A close examination of a video of the accident shows not very. Bieber’s truck was barely moving when, the singer tried to turn right to exit his parking space.

He cut the turn a little too sharp. The photographer could have easily stepped out of the way. Instead, the truck brushes him. He immediately dives for the pavement, and and hits with a loud groan.

He lays there holding his leg, while Bieber jumps out of the car and rushes to his side. He can be heard praying, while someone else calls for an ambulance.

“The car didn’t run over you though?” Bieber can be heard asking.

The photographer claims it did. But if it had, his leg would have been crushed and bloody.

The scene was pretty chaotic but was captured in the video. Check it out below, plus a news account of the accident.

About The Author

TheImproper Staff

Keith Girard is Editor and Publisher of TheImproper, New York City’s cutting edge arts, entertainment pop culture and lifestyle Web magazine. Before that, he was editor-in-chief of Billboard magazine and a reporter for the Washington Post among other media positions.